Machine for cutting excelsior



(No Model.) 3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

J. R. BATE.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING EXGELSIOR.

No. 583,884. Patented June 8, 1897.

1. V VEWI 0Q? ofttome w (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. R. BATE. MACHINE FOR CUTTING EXGELSIOR.

Patented June 8, 1897 WITNESSES Mam 5M4 J M (Nd Model.) 8 3 Sheets-Sheet3.

J. R. BATE. MACHINE FOR CUTTING EXGELSIOR.

No. 583,884. Patented June '8, 1897.

. ma E .Q a w w w UNITED STATES JAMES R. BATE, OF

oINoINNATI, OHIO.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING EXCELSIOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,884, dated June 8,1897.

Application filed June 20, 1895. Serial No. 553,395. (No model.)

To on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES R. BATE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for CuttingExcelsior; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines forcutting excel sior; and it consists in a certain construction andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outparticularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this class whichshall stand in a vertical position and in which the scoringspurs andcutting-knives are mounted upon an endless chain or carrier, so thatsaid scorers when crossing the blocks of wood shall travel straight withthe grain thereof, producing straight and tough strands of excelsiorwhenremoved from the block by the knives, which object is attained by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a side elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a central verticaltransverse section through the frame and journalbearings of thesprocket-wheels carrying the endless chain in which the spurs and knivesare mounted. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the machine on line3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged inverted plan view of one of thelinks of the chain. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-section through one ofsaid links, as on dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlargeddetail, partly in horizontal section, showing the slides mounted 011 theframe in which the links of the chain travel when the knives carriedthereby are in the operation of cutting, also showing the spring whichbears upon the outer face of said links and prevents the chain fromjumping when the knives are cutting the block. Fig. 7 is a plan view ofthe feed-box. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail on line 8 8 of Fig. 7,showing the way formed in the inner face of the side of the feed-boxwhich serves to guide the follower in its reciprocal movement therein.Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan of a section of the chain, showing the platesmounted thereon and carrying the scorers and cutting-knife; and Fig. 10is an enlarged section, on line 10 10 of Fig. 9, through the platescarrying the knives and spurs.

Referring to the letters of reference, A designates the frame of themachine, which is composed of two adjacent parallel plates which areoblong and substantially rectangularin form and stand in a verticalposition and may be secured together by means of suitable bolts passingbetween them. J ournaled in the lower portionof said frame is thedrive-shaft B, one end of which extends beyond the frame and issupported by a pillowblock B, upon which extended end is mounted thedrive-wheel B. Also mounted upon the drive-shaft are the opposed lowersprocket-wheels O. J ournaled in the upper portion of said frame is acounter-shaft 0', securedin. bearings and carrying the upper opposedsprocket-wheels C. These upper and lower sets of sprocket-wheels arearranged in vertical alinement and are adapted to carry thesprocket-chain or endless carrier D, upon which the scoring-spurs of thecutter-knives are mounted. This endless carrier consists of separatechains running upon their respective series of sprocket-wheels andconnected by cross-plates b, in which the knives a and scoring-spurs care mounted. The links I) of said chain are hinged together by means ofa pintle a, passing through the opposed ears 0 of one link and theentering-knuckle c" of the opposite link, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.These links, as will be seen, are solid and the under face thereof wherethey bear upon the wheel is fiat, as at a. In the center of this fiatportion is a depression or concavity d, which receives the tooth d onthe sprocket-wheel,-the surface of which on each side of said toothcorresponding to the fiat surface a" of said link. Formed upon each sideof the central depression d of the link and extending the distance ofthe flat surface a" thereof are two opposed parallel V-shaped flanges e,which engage the opposite beveled faces c of the sprocket-wheels andserve to retain the chain in proper position thereon, as clearly shownin Fig. 2. The crossplates b, extending between the chains and carryingthe scorers and cutter-knives, are secured at each end to lateralbrackets f, formed integral with the links, by means of a bolt passingthrough said plate and bracket, said plates being held in perfectalinement by the teeth upon the opposed sprocket-wheels, which are soset as to cause their teeth to register. The arrangement of the parts issuch that the operation of cutting shall occur upon the side of thechain moving downward. Therefore the scoring-spurs c are set in theplate in advance of the cutter-knife a, said spurs being securelyretained in place by a screw and made adjustable at will. The knives aare set at an angle, so as to effect a drawing cut, being'held by ascrew and made readily removable when desired.

Mounted on each side of the frame is a bracket E, upon which thefeed-box F is supported, said box consisting of two parallel sidesbetween which the follower F is adapted to slide, the inner end of saidbox being open and standing adjacent to the vertical plane of theknife-carrying chain. The follower F is adapted to reciprocatehorizontally within said feed-box,having slides 7t extending therefrom,which are adapted to travel in ways h, formed in the opposed inner facesof the sides of said box, as clearly shown in Fig. 8,whereby saidfollower is steadied in its reciprocal movement.

In the operation of the machine the blocks of wood from which theexcelsior is out are placed within the feed-box in advance of saidfollower and are carried by said follower against the spurs andcutter-knives mounted in the endless chain or carrier, which, beingdriven at a suitable rate of speed through the medium of thedrive-pulleyB and the lower sprocket-wheels C, causes said knives to outthe strands of excelsior from the block as they are fed thereto.

It is desirable that the feeding of the blocks tothe cutter-knives inthe chain shall be automatic,and it is also desirable that the operationof feeding shall not be of such. a positive nature as to crowd theblocks unduly against the cutter-knives. To attain these desiredobjects, I journal to the brackets E of the feed-box a transverse shaftG, to which is secured near its central portion an arm 7a, which extendsobliquely upward, its outer end being pivoted to a link 1', which is inturn pivoted at its opposite end between suitable ears i, extending fromthe outer face of the follower F. Mounted upon the outer end of theshaft G is a lever II, to which is attached a circlebar H, having agroove in its upper edge adapted to receive a rope 0, which lies thereinand depends some distance therefrom, a weight G being attached to thelower end of said rope, by which arrangement the follower may be drawnoutward in the feed-box by depressing or throwing downward the outer endof said lever, at the same time raising the weight G, whereby when thefeed-box is filled the power of said weight is exerted through the leverH and arm to force the follower inward and carry the blocks against theknives, the action of the weight being such that the blocks are fedforward only so fast as they are properly cut away by the knives in thetraveling chain.

To provide for locking the follower when thrown outward to the positionshown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to enable the feedbox tobefilled, there is employed a ratchetwheel 76, which is mounted on theshaft G and which is adapted to be engaged and locked from rotation by apawl m, said pawl being disengaged when it is desired that the weightshall actuate the follower to feed the blocks.

Owing to the flexibility of the cutter-carrying chain, it is necessarythat it shall have support at the point where the blocks are fed to theknives therein to prevent said chain from receding or springing inwardby the pressure exerted by the follower Fl This I accomplish byproviding a movable way I, which is adjustably secured to the inner0pposite faces of the side plates of the frame and is provided with aright angle in the face thereof, which receives the links of the chainand against which they bear when passing downward adjacent to thefeed-box, as more clearly shown in Fig. 6, whereby the knives in thechain are held closely to their work.

To prevent the chain from jumping or springing outward when the knivescome in contact with the block, there is employed a vertical spring J011 each side of the feed-box, which bears against the outer face of thelinks and holds them securelywithin the way I, said spring being mountedupon an adjustable screw n, supported ina holder K, secured to the sideof the feed-box,whereby the knives mounted in the chain are carriedthrough the blocks without vibration.

To provide for conveying away the strands of excelsior removed by thecutting-knives, there is employed a spout L, the mouth of which islocated adjacent to the inner face of the chain opposite the feed-box inposition to receive the strands of excelsior, and, curving outwardthrough the side plate of the frame, its outer end discharges theexcelsior strands outside of the machine.

In this case I have shown the drive-shafts located at the base of theframe, but in some instances it may be found desirable to drive themachine from the upper shaft, and while the machine is shown in avertical position it may be made to operate in a horizontal position, ifdesired.

From the drawings and the foregoing description it will now beunderstoood that in the operation of this machine the scoring spurs andcutter-knives are carried across the face of the blocks fed thereto in aline straight with the grain thereof, thereby pro ducing long and toughstrands of excelsior when out from said blocks, making a product ofsuperior quality.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure, by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for cutting excelsior; the combination with the opposedsets of sprocketwheels, the endless carrier passing over said Wheels,said carrier consisting of two separate chains running upon theirrespective sets of sprocket-wheels and consisting of a series of solidlinks hinged together and having a flat under surface provided with adepression in the center thereof to receive a sprocket-tooth, said linksalso having the lateral brackets extending from the inner side thereofand the beveled ribs or flanges lo-v cated on opposite sides of saidcentral depression, the plates extending between and connected to saidlateral brackets making a transverse connection between the separatechains, the knives mounted in said plates, the right-angled guidewayswhich receive the links of said chains, and the spring-actuated guidesengaging the outer face of said links to hold them in said ways, and thefeedbox located centrally between the two separate chains of the carrierin line with the knives carried by the plates extending between saidchains.

2. In a machine for cutting excelsior, the

combination of the opposed sets of sprocketwheels, the separate chainstraveling over said wheels, the transverse plates connecting the linksof said separate chains, the cuttingknives mounted in said plates, theright-angled guideways embracing the links of said chains, thespring-actuated guide holding said links in contact with said Ways, thefeedbox located intermediate said chains and in the path of thecross-plates carried thereby, and means for feeding the blocks to theknives in said plates.

3. In a machine for cutting excelsior, the combination with the sideframes carrying the series of opposed sprocket-wheels, the chains,

